Top AWS Services Every Startup Should Leverage

Amazon Web Services (AWS) is a leading platform that offers a suite of useful cloud computing tools and services. Businesses have been using cloud computing services to overcome application-related challenges, optimize their development processes, and reduce the cost of server infrastructure for sustainable growth.

Startups can also leverage the use of cloud computing tools and services to get such benefits and empower their business. AWS tools and services can help your startup develop robust applications, secure data, and optimize the cost of your business.

From streamlining operations to enhancing user experience, using the right set of AWS services can bring noticeable changes to your business.

In this post, we will delve into the best AWS services that every startup can use to enhance their product development process, deliver the best to customers, and drive better success to their business.

Best AWS Services for Startups

We have created a list of the best AWS services that every startup must use. The services we recommend here are not only easy to integrate but also offer robust features. These tools can support various stages of your development process.

Let’s have a look at them with their key features:

AWS EC2

Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) offers low-cost and scalable cloud computing resources. It allows businesses to create virtual servers, called instances. This service helps startups to focus more on development rather than on maintaining infrastructure.

Key features:

• Different Instance Types- Choose from a variety of instance types to run applications with different requirements.
• Elasticity- Change computing capacity easily to meet changing demand.
• Cost-efficient- The pay-as-you-go pricing model makes EC2 cost-effective for low budgets.
• Security- Enhanced security with key management, network isolation,  and compliance certifications.

AWS RDS

Amazon Relational Database Service (RDS) helps to set up, operate, and scale relational databases in the cloud. With this service, startups don’t need to look after managing relational databases. Amazon RDS supports database engines like Amazon Aurora, MySQL, Oracle, MariaDB, and others.

Key features:

• Scalability- Enables easy scaling for compute and storage resources with minimal downtime.
• Automated Backup- Backups databases automatically and provides a point-in-time recovery option.
• High Durability-.Offers high durability and availability with Multi-AZ deployments.
• Security- Improved security with network isolation, built-in encryption, and IAM integration.

AWS S3

Amazon Simple Storage Service (S3) is used for easy storage and retrieval of data. With S3, you can store and retrieve any amount of data at any time from anywhere on the web. It is the best storage service for startups due to its reliability, scalability, and low latency. 

Key features:

• Scalability- Automatically scales storage capacity as per data needs.
• Lifecycle Management- Automatically manages data retention policies and transitions between different storage classes.
• Durability- Highly durable system to ensure the best data security.
• Security- Improved security with data encryption support and fine-grained access control.

AWS IAM

AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM) service manages the users and their access to AWS accounts and services. With IAM, you can control the number of users and the level of access they have over an AWS account. Also, you can assign access to different AWS features to each user separately.

Key features:

• Security- Improved security with fine-grained access control, permission guardrails, and multifactor authentication.
• Centralized Control- Every AWS user account, its access, and permissions are controlled from a central system, the IAM Identity Center.
• Integration- Seamlessly integrates with other AWS services for better access management.
• Monitoring- Provides detailed logs and monitoring of every user activity.

AWS Lambda

Amazon Lambda is a serverless cloud computing service. It allows you to run codes without creating and managing servers. Startups don’t need to invest time and resources in managing servers with Lambda. They can focus more on writing and delivering codes.

Key features:

• Scalability- Automatically scales computing based on the rate of incoming requests.
• No server management- Do not require to manage servers and address optimization issues.
• Cost-efficient-.Pay only for the usage and compute time consumed to run codes.
• Event-driven- Responds to other AWS services events such as DynamoDB, S3, and Kinesis.

AWS CloudFormation

AWS CloudFormation is an Infrastructure as Code (IaC) service that helps you to manage and model infrastructure resources in a secure and automated way. It allows you to create resources in the form of IaC templates. It is useful for startups as they don’t need to invest time in configuring each resource individually.

Key features:

• Scalability- Seamlessly scales infrastructure and manages resources across all AWS accounts through a single operation.
• Automated Provisioning- CloudFormation and automatically configure and provision resources as described in the templates.
• Management- Manages the resources throughout their lifecycles. You can easily update or replicate the stacks as needed.
• Safety Control- Maintains a safe and controlled environment for provisioning and updating infrastructure.

AWS Elastic Beanstalk

AWS Elastic Beanstalk is a service to manage and deploy web applications in the cloud. It can automatically handle infrastructure provisioning, scaling, load balancing, and monitoring of applications. It saves a lot of time and resources for startups by streamlining the maintenance of their web applications.

Key features:

• Scalability- Automatically scales web applications to meet the demand of incoming traffic.
• Monitoring- Integration with Amazon CloudWatch for built-in monitoring and logging.
• Easy to use- Simplifies application deployment with minimal effort.
• Flexibility- Provides flexibility by supporting various development stacks and programming languages.

AWS ECS

AWS Elastic Container Service (ECS) is a fully managed service that allows users to run, manage, and scale containerized applications. With ECS, developers can deploy applications using Docker containers without worrying about the underlying infrastructure. This makes ECS highly useful for startups.

Key features:

• Faster Deployment- Ensures quick deployment of containerized applications with simple API calls.
• Serverless Operation- Uses AWS Fargate for serverless management of container applications.
• Integration- Easily integrates with other AWS services such as IAM, ELB, and CloudWatch.
• Scalability- Automatically scales containers based on the application’s need.

AWS CodePipeline

AWS CodePipeline is a fully managed continuous delivery (CD) service. It automates the workflow of your application release. With CodePipeline, you can easily modify and configure the different stages of your application release pipeline. Startups can use CodePipeline to save time and resources for delivering software updates.

Key features:

• Scalability- Automatically scales to handle any volume of workflow.
• Event Notification- Notifies about every major event of your pipeline with Amazon Simple Notification Service (Amazon SNS).
• Integration- Seamlessly integrates with other AWS services and third-party tools like Jenkins and GitHub.
• Security- Provides fine-grained access control with AWS IAM integration.

AWS CodeBuild

AWS CodeBuild is a fully managed continuous integration (CI) service. It compiles source code, runs tests, and produces software packages for deployment. CodeBuild eliminates the need to manage, provision, and scale your build servers. This results in streamlined operations and faster builds.

Key features:

• Scalability- Automatically scales according to the demand of builds waiting to run.
• Pay by Use- You only have to pay according to the build minutes that are used.
• Configuration- Supports custom build steps defined using a YAML build specification file.
• CI/CD Integration- Easily integrates into CI/CD pipelines with AWS CodePipeline and other third-party tools.

The Wrap Up

AWS offers a comprehensive range of cloud services that have endless benefits for startups and new businesses. From startup founders to tech-savvy professionals, everyone must understand and utilize all these AWS tools that we have mentioned.

Using these tools can lead to significant cost and time savings for startups working with limited resources. Also, you get to focus more on your development practices rather than on infrastructure management. So, choose the right AWS services for yourself and embark on your growth journey.